Notebook, 09/26

Tongue-in-cheek of course, but that’s a decent, if overly simplistic, summation of what happened last Saturday during UTSA’s 54-7 feast of Bacone. Despite the gaudy number on the scoreboard, the Roadrunners manufactured only one extended drive, and otherwise feasted on the fantastic field position their defense (and Bacone) gave them.

It’s still very, very early in the Roadrunners’ history — like, Paleozoic era early — but they have yet to put together a complete, three-facet performance, and that’s what it’s going to take to have even a chance against some of their upcoming opponents, including FCS No. 18 Sam Houston State on Saturday.

It should be a fascinating contest as the two teams match up almost perfectly from the standpoint of strengths, with Sam Houston State’s punishing ground game (268 yards per game, fifth in the FCS) against UTSA’s miserly run defense (57 yards per game, which would be second in the FCS if the Roadrunners were eligible).

* Injuries: Coker said WR Earon Holmes, who has missed the first four games with a shoulder, will be available for Saturday’s game.

S Lekenwic Haynes, who has also missed the first four games, did not play against Bacone despite being available. He’s moved up to second on the depth chart, behind Mauricio Sanchez, at the rover strong safety.

Coker finally offered a concrete comment regarding junior guard Patrick Hoog (ankle), whom he “doesn’t expect” to return this season. He also said the Roadrunners will probably pursue an NCAA waiver to get Hoog an additional year of eligibility, but didn’t sound confident. “We’ll definitely look at it,” he said, “but I don’t really count on that being a reality.”

* Not surprisingly, running back Chris Johnson took a hit on the depth chart after his second fumble on the season. Indeed, he’s no longer on it, dropping all the way down to fourth behind David Glasco II, Tevin Williams and CheRod Simpson. He’s probably behind halfback Evans Okotcha as well after Okotcha ran for 106 yards against Bacone.

No matter who sits where, offensive coordinator Travis Bush expressed a bit of frustration after Saturday’s game that nobody’s been able to step up and grab the starting job by the throat.

* Another feather in the cap of kicker Sean Ianno, who had one of the best performances in Saturday’s game: He averaged four seconds of hang time on kickoffs, well above the 3.5-3.7 seconds UTSA shoots for.

That was a huge reason, in addition to his three kickoffs, why UTSA dominated in an area Smithson Valley coach Larry Hill calls “hidden yardage.” It’s not sexy, or even obvious to the eye. But little details like that are how you win football games.

* Coker raved about another strong Alamodome crowd, citing the impact it made on the estimated 15 recruits who were in attendance: “I know they just couldn’t get over the atmosphere. We’re starting to set ourselves apart.”

* Coker lavished praise on hard-hitting safety Nic Johnston, who recorded three takeaways Saturday to push his season total to four. Hailing from Coppell, Johnston came through the Metroplex pipeline established by assistant Eric Roark that also produced Williams and defensive end Jason Neill (whom the coaches love).

* How hard is it to keep 70 some freshmen focused and working hard every day? Coker recounted an encounter with legendary NFL coach George Allen: “He said, ‘I pay these guys over a million dollars a year — that was a long time ago; now they won’t even line up for a million — and they can’t even pay attention for an hour.’ And that’s the NFL.”

* I’m going to write about this in more detail Tuesday for Wednesday, but Coker acknowledged he’s concerned about quarterback Eric Soza, whose play has dropped noticeably since his sterling performance in the opener. If anything, Coker said, Soza — who is one of the hardest working and most conscientious players on the team — is pressing too hard.

And for those who might be calling for backup John Simmons, don’t count on it. “That hasn’t even entered the conversation,” Coker said.

* Nate Leonard Memorial Quote of the Week: “I’m super amped for this game, because if we rise to the occasion — and I have great faith and confidence we will — it’s going to be a great leap forward for this program. I’m just looking forward to the opportunity to go into Sam Houston State and beat these guys.”

* Nate Leonard Memorial Quote of the Week II: “From the things they were saying on the field, (Bacone) knew they were getting man-handled pretty good.”

(I love how Leonard manages to be cocky and humble at the same time. As someone who bases his livelihood on conversations with other people, he’s an absolute dream…)